Strategic Area:                            HIV/AIDS

Alignment with strategic plan:       Democratic Governance

Project Name:                                     Exposure Visits and Scholarships

Duration:                                              June 2006 – May 2007
 
Project Summary:
UNDP has had a steady involvement in leadership advocacy and capacity development for HIV response in Somalia since 2004. During 2004, in cooperation with UNICEF, UNDP organised a TOT for Somali leaders in HIV/AIDS awareness and advocacy. Through Global Fund year 1 and 2, exposure visits were organised to Uganda (mainly government officials), Sudan (youth and religious leaders) and Djibouti (VCT councellors).

The identification of appropriate activities and individuals for continued support will be made in close consultation with the AIDS coordination structures and other stakeholders. In all 3 zones, a review process conducted in 2006 identified some of the technical and operational capacity gaps hampering the performance of the AIDS secretariats.

Additionally, a country-driven consultation for accelerating universal access to HIV and AIDS prevention, treatment, care and support conducted in 2006 noted major gaps in voluntary counseling and testing (VCT), antiretroviral treatment (ART) and sexually transmitted infections (STI) services in all the three zones of Somalia. Scholarships in year 2 of the Global Fund, therefore, were targeted at VCT counselors to complement training since undertaken by WHO.

To enhance its relevance to the Somali HIV response, decisions pertaining to participants and venues for the exposure visits will be made in close consultations with the AIDS coordination structures as well as the GFATM management team. As such, this proposal does not contain a decision as to the content and location of the study tour/ scholarships planned for year3. Since funding is limited, it is imperative that the major stakeholders together decide on the priority area(s).  However, possible areas identified are support to PLWHA, vulnerable groups (e.g. mobile populations), home-based care, HIV/TB co-infection, uniformed services.

Project outputs:
1.    assist AIDS commissions/secretariats to develop a plan for exposure visits based on identified gaps and priorities. 
2.    assist with the identification of appropriate capacity building programmes for the exposure visits
3.    in close collaboration with AIDS coordination structures and other stakeholders, facilitate the selection of appropriate personnel to participate in capacity building programmes  
4.    provide logistical and technical support for all exposure visits
5.    evaluate and provide reports on all exposure visits

Implementation Description and Achievements:
Five Somalia women participated in a regional Workshop in Yemen on  ‘Women Rights Institutions and HIV/AIDS: Arab Women Creating the future’ organized by the UNDP HIV/AIDS Regional Programme in the Arab States. Thirteen Somalis (9 women, 5 men) participated in a regional Workshop in Djibouti on ‘Traditional Practices’ organized by the UNDP HIV/AIDS Regional Programme in the Arab States.